In conventional addressing machines which print addresses (outgoing and/or return addresses) on media elements (envelopes, labels, sheets of paper to be inserted in window elements, etc.), in order to insure proper feeding of the media elements to the printer within the machine housing, it is necessary to adjust the feed gap. If the feed gap is not properly adjusted, either the media elements will not feed smoothly, or they will not feed one at a time, but either often or intermittently more than one media element will pass into the machine at once, resulting in blank envelopes, clogging or other malfunction of the printer or downstream handling elements, or the like.
Typically, the adjustment of the feed gap in addressing machines is a time consuming and/or inexact process. Normally adjustment is accomplished by turning a plurality of threaded elements, either to traverse the separator blocks which cooperate with feed rollers to set the feed gap, or to clamp the separator blocks in position. Use of the threaded elements is not only time consuming, when they are associated with a clamping component, oftentimes there is slippage between the components to be clamped together that is introduced during the tightening process.
According to the present invention, an apparatus and method are provided which allows quick and accurate setting of the feed gap of an addressing machine. Even though according to the invention there are a plurality (e.g. six) of separator blocks cooperating with feed rolls so as to accommodate media elements of all different sizes and positively (when properly adjusted) provide one at a time feeding of the elements, adjustment can be done very quickly due to the quick release and engage accurately positionable holding means that are provided for holding the separator blocks with respect to a face of the addressing machine housing. In a matter of seconds the machine can be adjusted to receive an exemplary thickness media element, an exemplary media element can be placed in proper position with respect to the rest of the feed rollers, and all the separator blocks can be moved into accurate position with respect to the sample media element and locked in place.
According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a feeding mechanism for feeding media elements one by one from a stack to be further acted upon, comprising the following components: A housing for mounting the feeding mechanism, and including components for supporting in a stack media elements to be fed one at a time. A plurality of feed rollers each having a peripheral surface, and each mounted for rotation about a substantially common first axis, the roller peripheral surfaces for engaging media elements and feeding them. A plurality of separator blocks associated with at least two of the feed rollers, each separator block having a bottom termination for engaging an edge of a media element in a stack supported by the housing and preventing feeding of media elements engaged thereby. Means for mounting the separator blocks to the housing for adjustable linear movement toward and away from the feed rollers, so that bottom terminations may be moved toward and away from the feed rollers to adjust the Linear spacings between the peripheral surfaces of the feed rollers and the bottom terminations; and quick release and engage means for quickly holding the separator blocks to the housing in infinitely variable positions to which they have been adjusted and quickly releasing them from the positions.
The quick release and engage means preferably comprises a lever having at least one locking cam surface, and at least one release cam surface; and means for mounting the lever for pivotal movement about a second axis (typically parallel to the first axis, and above it) which remains substantially stationary with respect to the housing; the locking cam surfaces radially spaced further from the second axis than the release cam surfaces.
The quick release and engage means also preferably further comprises a spring plate: which is substantially stationary with respect to the housing disposed between the cam surfaces of the lever and a separator block, and wherein the means for mounting the lever for pivotal movement mounts the lever so that when it is in a locking position the at least one locking cam surface engages and applies a force to the spring plate, which force causes the spring plate to press the separator block and cause frictional engagement between the separator block and the housing so that the separator block cannot move with respect to the housing, and so that when it is in a release position the at least one release cam surface engages the spring plate but supplies insufficient force to the spring plate to provide frictional engagement between a the separator block and the housing, thereby allowing the separator block to move under the force of its own weight with respect to the housing.
The means for mounting the lever for pivotal movement preferably comprises the following elements: a mounting block, having a surface configuration for receiving the spring plate so that an opening in the spring plate surrounds the surface configuration and is held tightly thereto by friction; a pivot pin extending through the block and the lever along the second axis; and means for releasably mounting the block to the housing. The means for releasably mounting the block to the housing preferably comprises a locator pin fixed to and extending outwardly from the block in a plane substantially perpendicular to the second axis; means defining a through extending bore in the block parallel to the locator pin; a locator pin-receiving opening in the housing; a threaded opening in the housing adjacent the locator pin-receiving opening; and a threaded fastener for passing through the bore and into threaded engagement with the threaded opening in the housing. The block surface configuration typically comprises opposite side surfaces of the block extending outwardly at an angle of between about 10-30 degrees (e.g. about 20 degrees).
The spring plate preferably comprises a plate having first and second end edges, both the edges angled slightly upwardly from a plane passing through the plate, and a radiused bulge provided intermediate the first and second end edges and extending upwardly from the plane.
The at least one locking cain surface, in order to provide easy locking with two different orientations of the lever so that it is clear which levers have been finally adjusted and which have not, preferably comprises first and second locking cam surfaces separated by the release cam surface extending around a peripheral portion of the lever in an arc with the second axis as its center.
The mechanism according to the invention also preferably further comprising a common slide mechanism containing two of the separator blocks, and holding them together in spaced relationship so that the bottom terminations thereof are aligned with two of the rollers. For example, three of the common slide mechanisms are provided mounted to the housing, and the plurality of rollers includes six rollers, one for the bottom termination of each separator block associated with each of the three common slide mechanisms. Each common slide mechanism may comprise an injection molded plastic element, including means defining a plurality of cavities therein adjacent the bottom terminations of the separator blocks; and further comprising a plurality of weights having a density much greater than the density of the injection molded plastic, the weights frictionally received in at least some of the cavities.
The first and second axes are commonly both substantially horizontal, and the means for guiding movement of the separator blocks comprises means defining a vertically elongated opening in the common slide element having a vertical dimension significantly greater than the vertical dimension of the pivot block, a vertically elongated guide tab extending from a surface of the slide element engaging the housing, and a vertically elongated slot in the housing having a vertical dimension longer than the vertical extent of the guide tab, and receiving the guide tab therein.
As earlier described, the housing is typically a housing mechanism for a printer for automatically printing addresses on media fed thereto, the feed rollers feeding media from a stack supported by the housing to the printer.
According to another, more general, aspect of the present invention, there is provided a quick engage and release locking mechanism for applying a normal force to a movable surface to hold that movable surface to a substantially parallel stationary surface. This mechanism has the following components: A lever having at least one locking cam surface, and at least one release cam surface. Mounting means for mounting the lever for pivotal movement with respect thereto, the mounting means comprising a mounting block and a pivot pin connecting the lever to the block and defining a pivot axis of the cam surfaces with respect to the mounting block. The locking cam surfaces are radially spaced further from the pivot axis than the release cam surfaces. The mounting block have an exterior surface configuration. A spring plate having means defining a through extending opening therein generally corresponding to the exterior surface configuration of the mounting block; and the mounting block extends through the spring plate opening with the mounting block exterior surface configuration frictionally engaging the spring plate, and at least the locking cam engaging the spring plate as the lever pivots about the axis.
The mechanism also preferably further comprises a locator pin extending outwardly from the mounting block in a plane substantially perpendicular to the axis; and means defining a through extending opening in the mounting block, for receipt of a fastener shaft, parallel to and adjacent the locator pin, and the exterior surface configuration may comprise a surface portion having opposite sides extending outwardly at an angle of about 10-30 degrees, the surface portion frictionally engaging the spring plate at the opening. Most desirably, the lever comprises first and second locking cam surfaces separated from each other by the release cam surface, and the spring plate comprises a plate having first and second end edges, both the edges angled slightly upwardly from a plane passing through the plate, and a radiused bulge provided intermediate the first and second end edges and extending upwardly from the plane, the bulge engaging the cam surfaces.
According to yet another aspect of the present invention, a method of adjusting the feed gap on an addressing machine is provided. The addressing machine has a plurality of separator blocks for engaging media elements in a stack and ensuring one at a time feeding of the media elements, cooperating with a plurality of feed rollers, the separator blocks having bottom terminations and mounted in engagement with a face of a housing, which face is substantially perpendicular to the direction of feed of media elements by the feed rollers, and quick release and engage locking elements associated with the separator blocks each including a lever having first and second locking cam surfaces separated by a release cam surface, a mounting block fixed to the housing face and extending through an opening in the separator block, a pivot pin defining a pivot axis about which the lever pivots with respect to the mounting block and housing, the locking cam surfaces spaced further distances from the pivot axis than the release cam surface, and a spring plate between the cam surfaces and the separator block and held stationary by the mounting block. The method comprising the steps of substantially sequentially:
(a) moving each of the levers to positions in which the release cam surfaces engage the spring plate;
(b) sliding each of the separator blocks to an upward position in which the bottom terminations are spaced a distance from a cooperating roller larger than the expected thickness of any media element to be handled by the addressing machine;
(c) pivoting each lever about its pivot axis to a position in which the second locking cam surface engages the spring plate and applies a force through the spring plate holding its associated separator block in the upward position;
(d) with the rollers not running, placing an exemplary thickness media element on the rollers, beneath the separator block bottom terminations;
(e) pivoting each of the levers to the positions of step (a), thereby releasing the force holding the separator blocks in their upward positions, so that the separator blocks fall of their own weight into downward positions in which the bottom terminations thereof engage the media element resting on the rollers; and
(f) pivoting each lever about its pivot axis to a position in which the first locking cam surface engages the spring plate and applies a force through the spring plate holding its associated separator block in the downward position, which defines a feed gap of approximately the thickness of each media element to be fed one at a time into the addressing machine by the feed rollers.
According to one particular procedure of the invention, six separator blocks are provided, mounted in pairs on three common slide elements, each common slide element having one of the levers associated therewith, and each of steps (a)-(f) is practiced for all three of the slide elements before any subsequent step is practiced for any of the slide elements.
It is a primary object of the present invention to provide a quick and accurate apparatus and method for setting the feed gap for media elements, particularly to an addressing machine. This and other objects of the invention will become clear from an inspection of the detailed description of the invention, and from the appended claims.